Carlos Sainz finished seventh in the Singapore Grand Prix and explained how the SF-24 has a very narrow tire operating window in qualifying. This has often caused difficulties for both him and Charles Leclerc.
Like Charles Leclerc’s race, Carlos Sainz’s was also a comeback. In Singapore, the Spaniard from Ferrari had to chase from the start. Starting tenth, he immediately lost a couple of positions, but the strategy planned for him paid off. The very early pit stop helped him undercut several cars ahead, allowing him to return to the points and finish in seventh place.
During the race, Ferrari showed how strong it could be. As of today, the Scuderia seems to be the second force, at least on certain types of tracks. However, what remains universal is the struggle Ferrari faces in qualifying.
According to Carlos Sainz, the SF-24 has a very narrow tire operating window, which has often caused difficulties for both him and Charles Leclerc, as was evident yesterday.
“The race pace has never been our concern, but the single lap in qualifying is because this year, with this car, we have a very small window to make the tires work. I made the mistake in qualifying, but we saw it with Charles too: the window is very small, and this year we’ve often paid the price. We’ll try in the last six races to do better and start further up the grid.” – the Spanish driver pointed out at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix.
In a few weeks, Formula 1 will cross the Atlantic to head to Texas, to Austin, on a traditional track—the Circuit of the Americas. That will be the first real test for the updates Ferrari has developed in recent weeks.
“Austin will definitely be an important track to see how and how well the updates work. Austin is a normal track, with very fast corners.” – he added.
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Many expected more from Ferrari in the last three races. Beyond Charles Leclerc’s victory at Monza, Ferrari has achieved less than anticipated at Baku and Singapore. Carlos Sainz does not hide this: “I don’t want to say the last three races were a missed opportunity, but we should have scored many more points than we managed to. Who knows, maybe in Austin and Mexico, the car will be strong again, and we’ll be able to score more points…” – the Spaniard concluded at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix.
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